Nothing can beat my fresh homemade Basil Pesto with Lemon, but when you don’t have time to make pesto this Kirkland Basil Pesto from Costco is pretty great! And this post has lots of ultra-tasty ideas for using pesto; enjoy!

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I love to make basil pesto in the summer, and I think my recipe for Basil Pesto with Lemon can’t be beat. But sometimes fresh basil isn’t available or you just don’t want to bother making pesto from scratch, and I love recipes with pesto even in the dead of winter. For times when making pesto just isn’t happening, I’m a huge fan of this Kirkland Basil Pesto from Costco, a great product that I’ve been buying for years.

Unlike tiny jars of pesto that you see in the grocery store, Kirkland Basil Pesto comes in a big 22 ounce jar, enough pesto to make any recipe that uses basil pesto. And this pesto keeps a long, long time in the fridge (and like my basil pesto with lemon, it can be frozen.) And just in case you’re wondering, Costco has never given me any pesto or paid me to write about it here, but I’m excited to add it to my list of Kalyn’s Kitchen Picks!

Can you Cook with Kirkland’s Basil Pesto?

I’ve heard from many readers through the years asking about a warning on the label of Kirkland’s Basil Pesto that says “Product should not be heated.” But I have cooked with this pesto for years and years with no problem. And since Pesto is actually a sauce to be used with pasta, I’m quite sure that warning means that when you’re using this pesto as a pasta sauce, you shouldn’t put the pesto into a pan and heat it (just add it to the hot pasta.) Please don’t worry about using this as an ingredient in a dish that will be heated!

(If you have a favorite way to use pesto, please share the idea in a comment, or leave your recipe link if you’re a blogger).

Why I’m Featuring Kirkland Basil Pesto:

I purchased the Kirkland Basil Pesto shown here myself and Costco has no idea whatsoever that I’m writing about their product. I love to feature products that are really a wow for me, and all items featured as Kalyn’s Kitchen Picks are things I happily buy over and over. And so readers will know that my opinions are completely unbiased, I don’t accept review products from the many companies who offer to send them to me.

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Have you ever tried making a creamy pesto sauce (for fettuccine or linguine, say with grilled chicken) using the Costco pesto sauce? I had attempted mixing a 1/4 or 1/3 of the jar with a heavy creme, but it did not come out as well as hoped. Any suggestions?

I make pesto cheesey bread. I buy a French bread and score it, then fill the openings with melted butter, parmesan and asiago cheese (or any other mixture), and pesto. Wrap in tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Yum!

I bought some basil pesto a few days ago and was so anxious to try it. It hasn’t been opened yet but I totally fogged and left it on the counter and just realized it was suppose to be refrigerated. It was bought sat afternoon and it’s tuesday afternoon now. Do I need to throw it 🙁

Not sure, it does contain cheese but it’s Parmesan cheese so I’d guess the shelf life is pretty long. I would refrigerate a few hours, then open and taste to see if it still tastes okay. If it does, I bet it’s fine. But I haven’t ever done this so I can’t say for sure. Maybe check Google to see if it’s mentioned there.

One thing you could do is freeze in ice cube trays, which would kill any bacteria. Then thaw a few cubes when you need to use some.

I usually buy Trader Joe's (Trader Giotto's Pesto alla Genovese) jarred pesto and just love it. I'll have to try the Costco jarred pesto. How long (approximately) is a "very long time" in the refrigerator?